April 21, 2022
Pennsylvania is the latest state to report a confirmed detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in a commercial poultry flock, leading state officials, industry leaders and Penn State poultry specialists to redouble efforts to contain the virus and educate producers, backyard flock owners and the public about the disease.
April 15, 2022
An innovative community service-learning course, “Community Engaged Learning with Pennsylvania Farmworkers,” offered by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, brings students of all disciplines together to teach and engage with immigrant farmworkers living in Centre County.
April 14, 2022
The Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship for Penn State Alumni in the Graduate School provides recognition for academic excellence to students who have been admitted to the Penn State Graduate School to pursue a graduate degree and who received their undergraduate degree from the University. This scholarship is funded through an endowment created by the Penn State Alumni Association. McKayla is a doctoral student in Pathobiology with a dual title in Clinical and Translational Sciences.
April 14, 2022
Richard Roush shares perspective on fishing and curiosity in video series
April 7, 2022
Exploring the emergence, spread and control of animal infectious diseases such as avian influenza was the focus of the inaugural Emerging Animal Infectious Disease Conference held Nov. 29-Dec.1, 2021, at Penn State. It was hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Penn State’s Center for Security Research and Education.
April 5, 2022
The Penn State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the agricultural honor society, recognized Penn State faculty and students during its annual meeting, which was held March 31.
March 17, 2022
A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of nearly $637,000 will enable a team of Penn State and University of Pennsylvania researchers to study whether treating prepartum cows with an anti-inflammatory medication will reduce discomfort and inflammation and lead to improved health and higher milk production after calving.
March 17, 2022
An inhalable "aerogel" loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State. The team said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable vaccine that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the lungs.
March 17, 2022
An inhalable "aerogel" loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State. The team said its aerogel could be used to create an inhalable vaccine that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission by preventing the virus from establishing an infection in the lungs.
March 16, 2022
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has recognized five faculty members for outstanding teaching in 2021.
March 9, 2022
The Community of Teaching Excellence Award is a reflection of commitment to the students and teaching programs within the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, as well as throughout the College of Agricultural Sciences! Faculty are awarded for their belief and support of excellence in teaching and the College’s educational efforts. These faculty are appreciated and recognized by their peers with this award. Congratulations Dr. Van Saun for a job well done!!
March 1, 2022
The detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds and domestic flocks in several Eastern and Midwestern states is prompting urgent calls from Penn State poultry experts for flock owners — and others who may come into proximity to flocks — to step up their biosecurity practices. At risk is Pennsylvania's large poultry industry, the state's second largest agricultural sector.
March 1, 2022
A transdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers is exploring how One Health, an approach that recognizes the interconnectedness among human health, ecosystem health and animal health, may be able to tackle complex health problems facing Pennsylvania.
February 28, 2022
With a dream of working in virology and infectious disease, with a taste of parasitology through schistosomiasis, Darnella Cole found herself entering a Ph.D. program at Penn State. She has a warm, vibrant personality and a way of speaking that makes it clear that she is passionate about this program and her future in science. Originally from a small university in Alabama, Cole recalled being shocked by all the options that she had here at Penn State University. Despite all these options, she noted the importance of having a general sense of what you want to achieve with the pathobiology program. This is due to the specialization of the program. As a first-year grad student, Cole remarked upon the welcoming and helpful nature of the entire department, especially the older grad students. “Kudos to the grad students. They are extremely helpful to incoming students—I mean, we know nothing!” Cole gushed. She spoke of her own initial concerns in the program, including registering for classes, and how older students had been incredibly helpful in her journey thus far. Even with their help, Cole recalled the initial challenges she faced in the program. Most importantly, the move from Alabama to Pennsylvania was a huge adjustment. From demographics, to culture, to weather, Cole found it difficult to adjust at first. Coupled with the fact that she had been out of school for a little, she found herself needing to find ways to adjust to her new environments. Fortunately, she managed to do exactly that. What she learned from this experience and hopes to express to other new grad students is that patience is key. It is okay that things are not easy right away, but so long as you have patience, they will work out okay in the end. In the end, Cole noted how the first year of grad school is filled with excitement and change. Students can expect to take courses in their first and second semesters as they consider which lab they may be interested in joining. Typically, first-year grad students have the opportunity to complete three lab rotations of five weeks each during the fall semester. After this is complete, they then select the lab they intend to spend the rest of their program in.
February 21, 2022
Some white-tailed deer living in Staten Island, New York, are actively infected with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2, according to new research led by scientists at Penn State. The team also found neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in one of the Omicron-infected deer, suggesting that, like humans, deer can be reinfected with the virus.
February 14, 2022
Seven students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received predoctoral fellowships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The students received a combined total of nearly $1.1 million — the most received for this year's fellowships among U.S. universities.
January 25, 2022
Cheng is a vibrant individual with an excellent sense of humor. He is a current pathobiology graduate student here at Penn State and is inching closer the conclusion of his program. His research centers around leukemia and discovering novel treatment for the disease.
January 24, 2022
VBSC"s Hayley Springer was nominated for, and recently notified that she was accepted to the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders program, a leadership development program through the National Institutes of Animal Agriculture (NIAA). This program focuses on critical thinking, leadership development, and communication skills to engage a range of audiences, as well as improving participants understanding of the variety of approaches to food production across the value chain. NIAA has been a major player in discussions surrounding antimicrobial use and resistance within animal agriculture, hosting an annual meeting on the topic.
January 7, 2022
During her senior capstone class in international agriculture, Penn State alumna Abigail Seeley worked on a grant proposal that has proved valuable as she works to become a veterinarian.
December 1, 2021
Faculty, staff and students joined University leaders, HOK architectural firm and Turner Construction Co. executives, donors, and guests on Dec. 1 for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
November 30, 2021
Fridays, 10:00 - 11:55 AM, 2 credits - Instructors: Anthony Schmitt, Troy Sutton, Girish Kirimanjeswara, Ed Dudley This course provides students with opportunities to read, present, and discuss current papers from the scientific literature. The papers will reflect new and innovative methods of studying the molecular mechanisms by which viral and bacterial pathogens infect hosts, evade immune defenses, and cause disease. Students will learn and evaluate new experimental approaches and techniques, and think critically about data interpretation. The course also provides opportunities for students to develop and refine both scientific writing and oral presentation skills in preparation for graduate-level qualifying and comprehensive exams.
November 29, 2021
Fridays, 10:00 - 11:55 AM, 2 credits - Instructors: Anthony Schmitt, Troy Sutton, Girish Kirimanjeswara, Ed Dudley This course provides students with opportunities to read, present, and discuss current papers from the scientific literature. The papers will reflect new and innovative methods of studying the molecular mechanisms by which viral and bacterial pathogens infect hosts, evade immune defenses, and cause disease. Students will learn and evaluate new experimental approaches and techniques, and think critically about data interpretation. The course also provides opportunities for students to develop and refine both scientific writing and oral presentation skills in preparation for graduate-level qualifying and comprehensive exams.
November 24, 2021
The Pathobiology graduate program is designed for students wishing to conduct PhD-level research in the areas of toxicology, cancer biology, immunology, or infectious disease.
November 23, 2021
(Credit to: Hailey Reiss) Dr. Jeffrey Peters is an accomplished researcher who manages to serve the university and his students well through his research and involvement while also spending much-needed time with his family.
November 22, 2021
Maurice is a graduate of the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Pathobiology Program (2019). Maurice plans to join the department at ADL in January/February of 2022 as Assistant Clinical Professor of Genomics and One Health. Maurice was mentored by Suresh Kuchipudi for his microbiology board exams.
November 8, 2021
Suresh Kuchipudi, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
November 4, 2021
More than 80% of the white-tailed deer sampled in different parts of Iowa between December 2020 and January 2021 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The findings suggest that white-tailed deer may be a reservoir for the virus to continually circulate and raise concerns of emergence of new strains that may prove a threat to wildlife and, possibly, to humans.
October 21, 2021
Hello! We are excited to have you join us for the 2021 College of Agricultural Sciences Scholarships and Awards Virtual Celebration. While we wish we could be together in person, we hope you will enjoy this virtual presentation to recognize and thank all of the generous donors who make such a positive impact on our college.
October 19, 2021
On behalf of the VBSC Scholarship Committee we want to congratulate Shaneice Nettleford and McKayla Nicol on being awarded the Grier Scholarship for this academic year. This award recognizes the tremendous academic efforts they have put into their graduate program. We had a very competitive group of applicants this year and are happy to be able to award these two deserving students. Congratulations to you both!
October 18, 2021
Pathobiology graduate student McKayla Nicol was awarded the College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Dissertation Award in recognition for her outstanding nomination for the "Alumni Association Dissertation Award" which showcases McKayla's achievements in scholarship and professional accomplishments. The Alumni Association Dissertation Award is among the most prestigious awards available to Graduate Students at Penn State. The Office for Research and Graduate Education in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has recently submitted her nomination to the Graduate School as one of the top four nominations in the College. Congratulations McKayla!!
